If your holiday get-togethers are full of family, friends, and oodles of food, then you’ve probably witnessed the common scenario of “too many cooks in the kitchen” on Christmas morning. Or perhaps simply “too many things to cook in the kitchen” is more like it. Potatoes, ham, vegetables, pies, cakes, casseroles, all awaiting their turn to simmer, bake, roast, broil, and reheat on the stovetop and in the oven. Luckily, there’s a secret weapon that can save the day, ready to be pulled out of your kitchen cupboard: your slow cooker. This year, save your stovetop space (and your sanity!) and try any of these 5 Christmas recipes to make in a slow cooker.

If your holiday get-togethers are full of family, friends, and oodles of food, then you’ve probably witnessed the common scenario of “too many cooks in the kitchen” on Christmas morning. Or perhaps simply “too many things to cook in the kitchen” is more like it. Potatoes, ham, vegetables, pies, cakes, casseroles, all awaiting their turn to simmer, bake, roast, broil, and reheat on the stovetop and in the oven. Luckily, there’s a secret weapon that can save the day, ready to be pulled out of your kitchen cupboard: your slow cooker. This year, save your stovetop space (and your sanity!) and try any of these 5 Christmas recipes to make in a slow cooker.

1. Mashed potatoes. It’s difficult to say what’s more cumbersome about cooking mashed potatoes: how much space the giant stockpot takes up on the stovetop, or how darn long it takes for the giant stockpot of water to come to a boil. Either way, skip both issues and cook your potatoes in a slow cooker. This tutorial from The Kitchn shows you how to do the whole thing—from boil to mash—all in one.

2. Creamed greens. Whether kale, spinach, or collards are your choice, creamed greens are a Christmas menu staple for many families. The traditional recipe calls for a low, slow simmer of the greens to get them nice and soft, creamy, and porridge-like—and this process can take quite a long time if you’ve got a line of other side dishes waiting to get stovetop space. In this recipe for Easy Slow Cooker Creamed Kale from Serious Eats, creamed kale is done all in the slow cooker. You’ll have to prepare your cream sauce separately first, but once the whole concoction is poured into a slow cooker, you can move onto the next recipe in your queue and let it go for hours.

3. Bread stuffing. Buttery, browned, chewy, deliciously savory stuffing—it finds its way onto both Thanksgiving and Christmas menus for good reason! Unfortunately, it takes up a load of space in a huge casserole pan in the oven. Try slow cooking your stuffing this year instead with this recipe for Slow-Cooker Mushroom-Herb Bread Stuffing from Woman’s Day.

4. Sweet potato gratin. You can never overdo it on the root vegetables or squashes on a holiday menu. If you’re doing mashed potatoes as one side, there’ still room for a sweet potato gratin as another. And with this gorgeous recipe for Sweet Potato Gratin from Vegetarian Times, you can make an elegant stacked gratin in a slow cooker that will wow your family.

5. Cheesy strata. You don’t have to sacrifice a hearty, festive brunch on Christmas morning simply because there are so many other things to cook for later in the day. While you’re getting an early start on the day’s lunch or dinner feast, you can toss all the ingredients for your cheesy strata in the slow cooker, and in a few hours it will be ready in time for brunch. Try it with this recipe for Slow-Cooker Egg and Cheese Strata from Canadian Living.

Stuffing is such a fun recipe to make from scratch since it’s one of those “everything but the kitchen sink” type of dishes. Whatever herbs, nuts, and fruits you’ve got on hand, you can toss into the mix and see what happens. And speaking of fruits, here are 11 different fruits that you can use in your holiday stuffing this year. Have fun experimenting!

Stuffing is such a fun recipe to make from scratch since it’s one of those “everything but the kitchen sink” type of dishes. Whatever herbs, nuts, and fruits you’ve got on hand, you can toss into the mix and see what happens. And speaking of fruits, here are 11 different fruits that you can use in your holiday stuffing this year. Have fun experimenting!

Cherries: Cherries are a wonderful fruit to use in wintry dishes. Their bold red color and sweet-tart flavor both make a festive pop for your holiday menus. Most stuffing recipes that include cherries call for dried cherries, as they are typically sweeter, but try using fresh cherries for a tartness that complements meats, fresh herbs, and any other sweet fruits you may have in the stuffing.

Apricots: Dried apricots aren’t a popular fruit for modern holiday stuffing recipes, which is a shame. These pucker-sweet fruits are really user-friendly and complement most meats, nuts, and herbs. Try pairing with pork, rosemary, and pecans for a winning stuffing combination.

Blueberries: Blueberries are not your typical winter fruit, but you can find quality frozen blueberries in the freezer aisle, and they’re worth a shot for the adventurous cook. Otherwise, give dried blueberries a shot, as they can be easily subbed in for cranberries or raisins in most stuffing recipes.

Figs: Dried or fresh, figs are a fabulous choice for your stuffing. They pair especially well with other sweet fruits like dates and dried cherries, as well as tart fruits like Granny Smith apples or fresh cherries. They’ll be a nice accent to sausage or vegetarian stuffings alike.

Dates: Dates are full of brown sugar-like “caramely” sweetness, and a few will go a long way in a savory dish like stuffing. Use them sparingly so that the dish doesn’t become cloyingly sweet, and chop them finely so that the flavors are dispersed evenly.

Cranberries: A no-brainer for stuffing, cranberries are one of the most common go-to fruits in holiday stuffing recipes. And rightfully so! These tiny dried fruits add just enough of a sweet-tart punch to complement all of the herby, savory flavors in any stuffing. (Save the fresh cranberries for a homemade cranberry sauce.)

Apples: Tart apples are good choices for a holiday stuffing, as they balance out the sweet and savory ingredients you may have in there (such as a salty meat and a sweet fruit like figs). Peel your apples if you must, but it’s perfectly fine to leave the skins on for your stuffing; just chop the apples into nice small cubes.

Pears: Similar to apples, pears offer that element of balance between sweet and savory, and they’re a great addition to a stuffing that has both salty ingredients and sweeter fruits.

Persimmons: Looking for a way to use these unusual winter fruits? Toss ‘em into your stuffing! Persimmons can be subbed in for apples or pears in most stuffing recipes, or used in addition to. They pair well with rich, smoky flavors like bacon, chestnuts, and pecans.

Quinces: Another less-common winter fruit, quince can be used in place of apples or pears in your stuffing recipes. They pair well with bacon, cornbread, and wild rice.

Grapes: Yes, grapes! Fresh grapes, red or green, add a lovely surprise to any holiday stuffing, and they’ll undoubtedly impress your guests as the secret fruit. They pair well with Italian sausage inside the stuffing, and will complement most chicken dishes.

Thanksgiving is upon us! Since this is the last From Our Friends until after Turkey/Tofurky day, we've decided to dedicate every article to providing you with great tips on choosing the right turkey, how to manage your stuffing intake, sneaking in some last-of-Summer produce, greening your Thanksgiving and keeping toxic pots and pans out of your delicious holiday cooking. We hope everyone has a chance to enjoy the time off work (hopefully!) and the time spent with their families. Happy Thanksgiving OA readers!

Thanksgiving is upon us! Since this is the last From Our Friends until after Turkey/Tofurky day, we’ve decided to dedicate every article to providing you with great tips on choosing the right turkey, how to manage your stuffing intake, sneaking in some last-of-Summer produce, greening your Thanksgiving and keeping toxic pots and pans out of your delicious holiday cooking. We hope everyone has a chance to enjoy the time off work (hopefully!) and the time spent with their families. Happy Thanksgiving OA readers!

It’s October, which means it’s time to bring out 3 things: your long sleeve shirts, your rake (to round up all the beautiful fallen leaves), and delicious seasonal foods. We’re talking apples, squash, pumpkins, carrots, nuts, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. If you’re looking for some ideas on how to bring those flavors together, we’ve got you covered with 6 dishes you’re sure to fall for.

It’s October, which means it’s time to bring out 3 things: your long sleeve shirts, your rake (to round up all the beautiful fallen leaves), and delicious seasonal foods. We’re talking apples, squash, pumpkins, carrots, nuts, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. If you’re looking for some ideas on how to bring those flavors together, we’ve got you covered with 6 dishes you’re sure to fall for.

Vegetarian Chili – a hearty protein-rich meal that will warm your belly and result in leftovers for the whole week. Serve with fresh baked bread or over a steaming bowl of brown rice.

Candied Butternut Squash – this tender, sweet fare is quite magical – watch it disappear off all the plates on the table! It makes a wonderful side-dish.

Hot Organic Apple Cider – Autumn isn’t complete without a pipping hot glass of cider. Whip this up and enjoy it in your favorite sweater while gazing out at the falling leaves (ideally in a rocking chair on a porch, but a city window will do if necessary).

Place dried cranberries, apple juice and 1⁄2 cup chicken broth into small glass bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes. Stir and place to the side (allowing liquid to be absorbed by dried berries).

Preheat oven to 350°F. In large pot, brown sliced or chopped sausage, breaking up and stirring frequently until browned. Reduce heat to low.

Place dried cranberries, apple juice and 1⁄2 cup chicken broth into small glass bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes. Stir and place to the side (allowing liquid to be absorbed by dried berries).

Preheat oven to 350°F. In large pot, brown sliced or chopped sausage, breaking up and stirring frequently until browned. Reduce heat to low.